Sweet Sunday Mornings
by lizard.liza
Summary: 24 year old Nani is still coping with a rough break up when she is confronted by a charming man with a dark secret. Will she hold on to her past or let go, leaving her fate up to a man named Joss.
1. Where'd You Go?

Disclaimer: I don't own Vladimir Tod, Henry McMillan, Nelly, Otis Otis, Vikas, etc. On the other hand, I do own all of the Carters, though. Basically, if you've heard the name before, I don't own them. This takes place after they're out of school. I'm only using information from 8-10th grade, though. Meredith and Vlad are married in this. The way they got back together is explained later in the story. Don't yell at me. I know they broke up.

Author's Note: I don't write if no one reviews. I'm not begging for reviews or anything, but I think if you want to read more, you should tell me what you think. They can be short reviews, critical reviews, or long ones. I really don't care. Just take thirty seconds to review. The first person to review will get a surprise. So review, review, review! Anyway, on to the story. I really hope you like it.

**How did we end up like this? Where are you now?**

I held Dimitri to my chest, tears rolling down my cheeks as his two year old body curled into me. The tuft of brown hair that covered his head rubbed against my chin. The house was quiet. Too quiet without him here. He hasn't been here in too long. I miss him. Sometimes it feels like the other half of my heart has been ripped away. Forgotten the way that I was. I loved him. I still do. Not a day goes by where I don't wonder what happened to us. The perfect high school couple that was torn savagely apart by death and betrayal. It's been four months and three days since we last spoke. It's like he doesn't care anymore. Doesn't care about me. Doesn't care about Dimitri. Today was just another day of not seeing Henry. Another day of the despair that comes with knowing he's in the arms of another woman and I can't do anything about it. Another day of silence.

Until the silence was broken by the front door opening. Vlad. I stood up slowly, laying Dimitri in his crib. My red rimmed eyes met Vlad's as I walked down the stairs. His hand held tightly to four year old Marcy's. "Hi Aunt Nani!" she yelled, running towards me for a hug.

I put on a fake smile, wrapping her in my arms. "Hey, sweety. Where's your mom?"

"She's on her way with baby Jenna!" Marcy smiled widely, excited about her new little sister. "Can I play with Dimitri?"

"I just out him in his crib so you can go watch TV in the living room. If he wakes up, you can play with him."

"Ok." She walked into the living room as Vlad held the door open for Meredith and the bulky car seat she carried with her.

We made our way into the dining room and sat down. "Are you ok?" Vlad asked, scooting his chair closer to mine.

I shook my head, wiping my eyes to catch the early tears that had formed. "No. Vlad, what happened? We were in love..."

"I know you were. Honey, you need to move on." Meredith squeezed my hand gently. "You're beautiful. You're sweet, funny, and _so_ nice. You can do so much better than Henry."

I shook my head. "I don't want anyone better than Henry. I love him the way you love Vlad." I paused. "If he left you, would you want someone else?"

She cast her eyes down, shaking her head. "Honestly, no."

"Exactly. He was mine. Everything I've ever wanted and so much more. He was my life. My world. Every decision I made revolved around him." I stared at my left ring finger. "I can never replace that."


	2. Reunited

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. Everyone else is mine. One of the characters from this is going to make a guest appearance in one of my other stories. The first person to figure out who it is, gets a surprise! The bold, underlined line at the beginning of each chapter is a lyric from a song. The name and artist of the song will be under the lyric.

Author's Note: Yay darkness! You get a surprise! Message me about it and I'll tell you what it is. :P On to things about the story. Throughout the story, you'll learn things about Nani's past through her dreams. Usually they'll be at the beginning or end of a chapter. The dreams will be in _italics_. Sometimes the dreams will be someone else's. The dreams aren't always in chronological order. It could go from a day in high school where Nani and Henry are absolutely in love to a day that "love" is the last thing that crosses Henry's mind. In this chapter, Nani finally encounters Henry. Wish her luck.

**When you look at me with your cinematic eyes, I wanna play the part but I forget the lines.**

_Our Song-The Spill Canvas_

Nani stared at herself in the mirror, complacent defeat washing over her petite body. "You ready to go, Marcy?" she asked, glancing at her "niece".

"Mhmm. Aunt Nani, are you ok?" She cocked her head, brown ringlets of hair falling over one shoulder.

"I'm fine, honey." Her fake smile was almost convincing. "Let's just get to the store."

Marcy nodded. "Ok."She made her way to the shiny car in the driveway. Nani grabbed Dimitri's hand, leading him to the same car and buckling him into his car seat.

Plopping into her own seat, she started the car. The ride to the store was quiet. Marcy hummed softly to herself as she stared out the window. As their destination came into view, Marcy bounced in her seat.

"Can I get a toy?"

Nani nodded. "Of course."

Going into the store was even quieter than the ride there. As Marcy dug through the toys, a familiar laugh echoed throughout the store aisle. Nani glanced up.

"Henry?" she called, her eyes meeting with a muscular brunette.

Henry forced a smile. "Hey, Nani."

An awkward silence followed until Nani decided to speak. "How are things?"

Henry shrugged. "Great. You?"

Nani contemplated whether or not to tell him the truth. She opted not to. "Fine."

"That's good." His eyes wondered towards Dimitri. "Hey, lil man."

Dimitri smiled, shoving a fake frog toward his father. "Dada!"

Henry smiled before turning back to Nani. "Could I come over later? Maybe we could talk."

Nani shrugged. "I guess. I don't care."

"Well...see ya later."

"Yeah. Bye."

Henry ran his fingers through his hair, smiling at the black-haired woman in front of him. "Sorry it's so late. Couldn't get away from Michelle."

"It's fine." Nani motioned towards the living room. "Make yourself comfortable."

Slowly, Henry made his way into the familiar territory, remembering all that he had left behind for Michelle. "You look great."

"Thanks. I still try." Nani eased onto the couch, inwardly smiling as Henry sat beside her.

"How's everything?"

"Great. You?"

"Perfect. Michelle thinks she's pregnant."

Nani nodded. "That's great." She sucked the inside of her right cheek. "Do you remember the first time we went to the Snow Ball together? In eighth grade?"

The McMillan smile spread across Henry's face. "I sure do. The night I admitted that I loved you."

"I'd been prodding you to admit it for over a year. You never would."

"I was scared to. I thought you'd stop talking to me if I did."

Nani rolled her eyes. "I wanted you to say it. I melted in your arms when you said it."

"I remember that! I had to hold you up or we'd both fall."

The two chuckled, the memory bringing a lighter feeling to the room. "Why did it have to end?"

"What?"

"The love. The happiness...When we were together, things were perfect."

Henry shook his head. "I don't know."

Nani stared at him, her eyes flooding with tears. "My dad hated you. He still does."

"Why?"

"Cuz we're perfect together. Even he can see that."

Henry squeezed her hand gently, scooting closer to her. "I see it too."

"Then why can't you be with me?"

"I don't know, Nani. I just can't. I love you, though. Remember that."

She relaxed as Henry's lips found their way to hers. "I've always remembered that."


End file.
